High winds whipped through southeastern Michigan Monday, knocking out power to 200,000 homes and businesses, trembling buildings, knocking down trees, and messing up hair.

"It's putting a strain on our system," said Randi Berris, an official with DTE Energy. "As our crews go out to assess the damage, we expect to see a lot of trees and tree limbs down on our wires."

The effects of the fierce winds could be seen across the region, including in downtown Detroit, where a traffic sign crashed onto a police SUV on Jefferson Avenue. Another electronic traffic sign fell on Woodward Avenue at Larned.

Gusts of up to 60 mph shook cars traveling along the highways, toppled part of a building in Detroit and caused anxiety for thousands as Thanksgiving approached, with some worried they would have no power for the holidays. The winds knocked down items across the region. At one home in southwest Detroit on 18th street, the backyard trampoline was tossed across both the back and front yards, and into the street.

On social media, there were reports of a sign at a liquor store knocked down, hotels shaking from the wind, garbage cans flying, and the Detroit River moving in what appeared to be the opposite direction of its normal flow. Others grumbled about the chilly, windy weather the week of Thanksiving.

There were more than 1,000 downed power lines across the region, causing potential safety hazards, said DTE Energy.

A high wind warning was in effect until 10 p.m. Monday for Wayne, Washtenaw, Lenawee and Monroe counties, the National Weather Service in White Lake Township said today.

DTE Energy reported about 150,000 customers without power while CMS Energy reported 50,000. Among the DTE customers without power, Wayne was worst hit, with 50,000 without power, 30,000 each in Macomb and Oakland, and another 20,000 in Washtenaw. The remainder are scattered in other areas.

Strong winds made driving difficult for high-profile vehicles, especially on north-south roads, the weather service said.

Berris reminded customers to assume that any downed wire is live and to stay at least 20 feet away from them. They should report them to DTE. Don't try to move wires of tree limbs around them, Berris said.

Don't cross yellow police tape put up around the lines, said DTE Energy. And don’t drive across a downed power line. If a power line falls on your car, remain inside until help arrives.

The winds will die down to 13-18 m.p.h. by today, with gusts as high as 26 m.p.h. Temperatures are expected to drop, with up to eight inches of snow in the Upper Peninsula.

Customers can call DTE Energy at (800) 477-4747 to report power outages or downed lines. DTE says it encourages customers to use the mobile website at dteenergy.com or their iPhone or Android phone to report a power problem using the DTE Energy Outage Center app. Visit www.dteenergy.com/outage for updated information on the locations of outages.